Ross is currently involved in a tight Senatorial race with incumbent Republican Richard Burr and is trailing Burr three to six points in the polls. African-American voter support will be crucial in deciding the winner of this race, and the North Carolina state legislature’s attempt to suppress the vote with “surgical precision” could have an impact on the outcome.

A federal appeals court was quoted as equating the state’s attempt to disenfranchise Blacks in North Carolina as “akin to Jim Crow days.”

Ross responded to what appears to be an attempt to take the state backwards to a more perilous time for African-Americans, saying, “We’ve been fighting against Jim Crow ever since the end of the Civil War. This year I think we’re going to show how much we’ve prevailed.”

The North Carolina Senatorial candidate also told Martin and the TJMS crew she has fought for voting rights throughout the course of her entire career and was the sponsor for same-day voting registration and early voting in the state.

The bill passed in 2007 and helped pave the way for then-Sen. Barack Obama to win North Carolina and subsequently to be elected President of the United States.

Ross’ opponent has stood in the way of the advancement of several African-American women to federal judge positions.

“It’s not just that,” said Ross, adding Burr “voted against Loretta Lynch for Attorney General – one of the most qualified people to ever be nominated for Attorney General.”

Lynch is a native of North Carolina and hails from Greensboro. Ross explained the people of the state can’t seem to understand why Burr, a Republican, would stand in the way of Lynch’s appointment to Attorney General.

Ross told the audience, “I do not know what is wrong with Richard Burr, but he has just got to go.”

Referencing the Keith Lamont Scott police shooting, Ross said immediately after the incident, she was in contact with entities in Charlotte to discuss “how to keep the community together and make it so that we don’t have these kinds of incidents.

“I have a history of working on anti-racial profiling laws (and) got them through the General Assembly in a bipartisan way,” Ross said.

The Senatorial hopeful began to discuss the issue of police brutality and excessive force: “This isn’t just a law enforcement issue, this is a quality of life issue. We have got to make sure that everybody has economic security.”

Watch Roland Martin and Deborah Ross discuss her campaign to be elected to the Senate in the video clip above.